The Art of Adaptation

by Linda Seger

  USE THE FACTS YOU KNOW

  Under certain circumstances you can also make changes in scenes. Perhaps you’re doing a murder story based on a true story. Your villain kills someone named Lila. You know how old Lila is, you know that she was picked up at the mall and was killed about three miles away. However, you don’t know if the murderer and Lila talked, or what they talked about. For a docudrama, you have two choices in terms of how you write dialogue. You may decide that you won’t have her talk at all. Or you may decide to create dialogue that has a basis in fact. No one is going to object if you have the killer say, “Hello, Lila.” But if you started conjecturing about a conversation, deciding that she tried to persuade him not to kill her by telling him about her abuse in her childhood, you would be fictionalizing and possibly defaming the subject. Only if there is proof in the public record that she was an abused child could you create dialogue along those lines. If there is no information, you could be sued for fictionalizing facts.

  Suppose you found out that this murderer had been an abused child, but you knew very little about when and how he was abused. You may be tempted to create a scene about his mother hitting him when he was three. But without sufficient information, this could lead to a charge of defamation of character, of both the murderer and his mother.

  When people in broadcast standards look at a docudrama, they add up the number of total ingredients. For every scene they ask if you can prove what’s fact and what’s fiction. You may be developing too many fictitious elements in the scene about a boy of three, as opposed to a scene where it’s a matter of record that the killer picked up this woman, lured her into his car, and probably said a few words to her. In the first case, you’re making up a scene, making up dialogue for both the mother and son, and probably adding elements to both characters that are not part of the public record and can’t be proved. It will depend on how much you know. If you know that the killer talked about being hit by his mother when he was three, then you have more grounds for creating such a scene.

  When you write these scenes, you are creating building blocks of proven information. You are trying to balance the number of elements in the scene that you can document with elements you create.

  When analyzing what scenes to add, ask yourself, “What do I know, what can I research, and what can I conjecture might have happened based on the evidence that I have?”

  USE TIME COMPRESSION TO TIGHTEN

  Even within the limits of a true story, you do have a certain amount of leeway. You can use time compression to move quickly from one point in time to another. If, say, a relationship actually lasted for five years, but you think it would work better if you could end it in two years, you can usually change these facts. Sometimes this helps dramatically, particularly if you want to end the relationship right before the start of something new in the person’s life. Suppose the relationship actually dissipated over a period of time. Perhaps your protagonist left for Europe for a year. Although the relationship might have been kept alive through letter writing and occasional phone calls before finally dying out, it might be more dramatic to break off the relationship right before the protagonist leaves.

  The broadcast standards department also approves composite characters—combining two or more characters into one. It may be that there were actually five detectives on a case, but you know it will be more dramatic to have one or two, so you look at the work that all five did and ascribe it to just one or two of them. Perhaps there were seven children in a family, but you don’t want the audience to watch the movie counting children, so you reduce the number to four or five. This will still seem like a large family, but if the number of children is not important, the reduction can help clarify and keep the focus on the important issues.

  Maybe someone had four wives, or worked with three businessmen, but for purposes of clarity, you decide to combine the two younger women or the three businessmen into one character. All of this is acceptable, although it is not advisable for a major character. Also, if you’re doing a composite character you have to change the name. Get releases from all the subjects who make up the composite. When doing a composite character it is not acceptable to obtain a release from only one of the subjects—it must be all or none.

  GUIDELINES TO FOLLOW

  A network’s broadcast standards and practices department prints guidelines that are issued to producers. Before the script can be produced, broadcast standards will ask you to supply copies of key substantiation materials such as books, articles, interviews, releases that have been secured, and a list of people who are not cooperating; and documentation that corroborates each element that is based upon actual events, that depicts the actions of an actual person, or that characterizes such a person. Whenever possible, they will want to know the source of any quotes that may become dialogue in the story.

  If you’re a new producer, they will give you a set of their guidelines to follow. The following are ABC’s guidelines:

  A. Composite Characters

  1. If a script uses composite characters (i.e., characters that are based on two or more real individuals) the annotated script must indicate the specific individuals who have been used to create the composite. All dialogue and actions by composite characters throughout the script must be accurate with respect to the individuals making up the composite.

  2. Although it is permissible to create composite characters, as defined above, no fictitious characters—other than incidental or functional characters who have no bearing on the basic plot—are to be included in the script.

  3. Generally, major characters whose story lines constitute a recurring element in the script must not be composite characters.

  B. Chronology

  1. Chronology of events, locations, and circumstances must be accurate throughout, and supportive evidence must be submitted to this effect in the annotative script.

  2. Dates and passages of time must be clearly indicated in the script, either in dialogue, by supers, dissolves, or other visual techniques.

  3. Events may be telescoped, but events that never occurred cannot be invented. Telescoped events must be chronologically accurate.

  C. Legal Matters

  1. Where courtroom documents are relied upon for dramatic purposes, such documents must be submitted.

  2. Generally, releases from individuals depicted must be obtained. A release, however, does not mean otherwise impermissible fiction will be allowed.

  D. Characterization and Attitudes

  1. Personal characteristics, attitudes, and demeanor must be substantiated (e.g., if a character is depicted as feisty or quarrelsome, documentation to this effect must be supplied).

  2. Created dialogue, the basis of which is circumstantial, requires reasonable substantiation to establish that it fairly represents the attitudes and beliefs of the participants.

  3. If a narrator is used, his or her statements must be objective without providing commentary or editorialization.

  E. Controversial Subject Matter

  1. In some instances, due to the sensitive nature of the subject, multiple sources of verification will be required for scenes, events, and, in some instances, specific lines. Examples of “sensitive” subject matter are sexuality, religious issues, a highly charged political event, controversial issues, a very recent event, or a script based on a famous person who is alive.

  2. Programs which deal with themes which involve controversial issues of public importance shall include a balanced presentation of contrasting views on those issues within the individual program itself unless otherwise authorized by the Department of Broadcast Standards and Practices.

  F. Representative Events

  There are a number of disclaimers that a writer can use. Below are different disclaimers, with the names of films which fit into this category:

  The following is a recreation of (the event or story). The action is based upon court records, eyewitness accounts, reportage, personal interviews, investigative reports, offi
cial documents, etc. (Optional: The names we use are real with the exception of certain composite characters who have been given fictitious names.)

  (The Missiles of October)

  The following is a dramatization of the life of———based on the book by and other sources. Some composite characters and time compression have been used for dramatic purposes.

  (Fighting Back)

  The following dramatization of the life of———is based on the (book) or recollections of———.

  (Marilyn—The Untold Story)

  The following is a dramatization drawn from the observations of————, a witness to these events. The events are compressed for time. Certain composite characters have been given fictitious names.

  (Attica)

  This story was inspired by/based upon the life and deeds of———. This motion picture is not an attempt to reproduce actual events, although it is suggested by them. The producer intends no more than to present a dramatic story.

  (Lizzie Borden)

  Although the following film is fictionalized, it was inspired/suggested by real people and events. [This could refer to a film with a backdrop of the Vietnam or Gulf war, or an event such as the Chernobyl incident.]

  HOW TO PITCH THE STORY

  For television, once you get the rights to someone’s story you need to decide whether to pitch it to the networks or to partner with a production company. You will usually have a better chance pitching the story to a well-known movie-of-the-week producer. Such producers have contacts with networks. They can arrange a network meeting that may be difficult for you to arrange by yourself. You also come into the meeting with more clout, because the network knows that the producer has a good sense of what’s commercial and has a track record of knowing all the steps in writing and producing a television movie.

  This means you need to research which television producers have done films such as yours. If it’s a story involving child abuse, there are certain producers who’ve made a reputation doing such stories, and doing them tastefully. The same is true of crime stories and medical stories. Look for the producer’s name and the name of the production company in the credits of TV movies with similar themes to yours. If the producer is Los Angeles—based, the name and phone number will often be in the telephone book, or you can find it by calling the network that aired the show, or by buying The Pacific Coast Studio Directory. You can order this and other industry resource books from Samuel French Bookstore, 7623 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Calif. 90046; telephone (213) 876-0570.

  WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS INTEREST THE NETWORKS?

  Let’s say you are thinking of optioning a true-life story, but you want to get some sense of the network’s interest. How can you discover what kinds of stories they’re looking for?

  Although the network’s choice of programs will vary, you can get a good idea of their interest by looking at what kinds of movies are shown on which nights (some nights the networks cater more to female viewers, other nights more to male viewers). You can read the trades (The Hollywood Reporter and Variety) to find out what projects they’re currently buying.

  Since television primarily has a female audience, docudramas that are female-oriented will do better than male-oriented subject matter. Look for stories in which the protagonist is a woman or that deal with relationships, problems families encounter, or issues that have some social significance. The choice of subject matter for television movies has often led to jokes about the “disease of the week” or the “issue of the week” film. Such stories have been a staple for television, since they are personal stories that create strong identification with the situation on the part of the audience.

  Television movies that are difficult to sell are ensemble pieces, those with sports subjects, those set in exotic locales, and period pieces (unless it’s a miniseries taken from a best-seller such as War and Remembrance or Shgun.) One also has to realize that the political, international, and economic climate will affect what the networks are buying.

  During a war, the networks might be looking for more entertaining stories. People are getting enough reality from the news without looking at more violence and bad news in television films. During a recession, audiences probably won’t want to watch films about a stock market crash. After a hijacking, audiences probably won’t want to watch films about terrorism. Audiences have difficulty dealing with certain situations when they’re in the middle of the problem. After the problem is resolved, they often welcome the opportunity to reflect on it by watching a film about the subject.

  SUMMARY

  Many new writers have gained an entree into film through optioning material for very little money, and writing a terrific script. Many well-known producers have made their reputations by concentrating on adaptations. Before adapting material, you need to make sure you clearly own the rights to it so you can do with it whatever you want. Once you have the rights, you can proceed to the creative and artistic work of creating a great adaptation.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  WITH MANY THANKS

  TO

  my editor, Cynthia Vartan, because working with her is a joy;

  TO

  my agent, Martha Casselman, for her help and support;

  TO

  my consultant, Lenny Felder, for great advice and encouragement;

  TO

  Lee and Jan Batchler and Ethel Symolon, for the title, and to Gloria Stern for the title to Part Three;

  TO

  Karen Balog, Beth Brickell, Dara Marks, Donie Nelson, and Ed Whetmore, for reading the book and giving me such valuable comments;

  TO

  novelist Phyllis Gebauer, for her perceptive comments on the book, and for special help on Chapter Nine;

  TO

  novelist Gayle Stone and Professor David Oates, for reading and commenting on Chapter Two; Professors Wayne Rood and Joyce Cavarozzi and playwrights Dale Wasserman and Don Freed, for reading and commenting on Chapter Three; and writer Cynthia Cherbak, for brainstorming on Chapter Four;

  AND TO

  entertainment attorney Stephen Rohde, for sharing his knowledge and guiding me on Chapter Ten, and Philippe Perebinussoff, executive director of Broadcast Standards at ABC, for his information and help on Chapter Eleven.

  A special thank-you to writer Nelson Giddings, who has written innumerable adaptations. Several years ago I attended a talk by Nelson on this subject, which helped me work out an approach to this material. Part of Chapter One is dependent upon some of Nelson’s concepts, which he has allowed me to use to introduce the basic work of adaptation.

  And always to my husband, Peter, to whom this book is dedicated.

  ALSO BY LINDA SEGER

  Making a Good Script Great Creating Unforgettable Characters

  THE ART OF ADAPTATION

  “A thorough how-to-adapt book for the beginning and experienced writer to guide and focus feelings and thoughts to get on with the writing.”

  —Malia Scotch Marmo, screenwriter, Once Around and Hook

  “The perplexing problem of adapting material for a cinematic medium often hostile to the tone and style of the original has never been addressed in such specific and clear terms. Ms. Seger asks questions and identifies the problems, and those are the first steps to finding answers and solutions.”

  —Frank Pierson, screenwriter, Dog Day Afternoon and Presumed Innocent

  “A great book. It answers every question that pertains to fictional or factual adaptations to film. It is thorough right down to where to find a lawyer if you need assistance in securing the rights to a story. An invaluable asset to a producer.”

  —Pat Finnegan, producer, Finnegan-Pinchuk Company

  “The most useful book I’ve read on adaptation. Clear, concise, insightful.”

  —Cynthia Whitcomb, coauthor, I Know My First Name Is Steven; author, Selling Your Screenplay

  “Should be required reading for anyone interested in adapting other material for the screen. Clear, thorough, and extremel
y helpful. I highly recommend it.”

  —Richard Zanuck, producer, Driving Miss Daisy and Jaws

  AFTERWORD

  From my experience and observations, the following are the five most important concepts to keep in mind during the adaptation process.